Southington Man Convicted Of Federal Gun & Drug Charges In 2020 Shooting
Tuesday, November 25, 2025, 7:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
NEW HAVEN, CT.- A 42-year-old Southington, Connecticut, man and convicted felon learned he could be facing over a decade in federal prison after being found guilty on Friday on charges in connection with a shooting that occurred in the City of Hartford, back in September of 2020.
According to U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan, on Friday, November 21, 2025, following a trial in Federal Court in New Haven, Connecticut, a jury found Eric D. Cox, 42, of Southington, Connecticut, guilty of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and Possession of a Controlled Substance, Cocaine.
According To The Evidence Presented At Trial
During the trial, the U.S. Attorney’s Office presented evidence that proved beyond a reasonable doubt that on September 4, 2020, Cox engaged in a violent altercation near Hartford Hospital in the City of Hartford, Connecticut. During the altercation in which Cox was slashed with a knife, Cox pulled out a handgun and fired multiple shots at the person who slashed him and other individuals in the direct vicinity, which led to a bystander being struck multiple times by gunfire.
During the ensuing investigation, members of the Hartford Police Department located and recovered several spent shell casings on Jefferson Street, where the stabbing and shooting took place, and a hospital employee found a discarded .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun outside the entrance of the hospital’s emergency department and contacted the Hartford Police Department.
Police Officers searched Cox’s vehicle following the stabbing and shooting, and located and seized a bag containing around 28 grams of cocaine. Subsequent analysis of the handgun resulted in Cox’s DNA being detected on the handgun.
Cox, who remains free on a $100,000 bond, will be facing, when sentenced, a maximum of ten years in federal prison on the firearms charge and a maximum of two years in prison on the narcotics offense. Cox would also be subject to a term of supervised release upon completion of any sentence imposed.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan commended the investigative work of the Hartford Police Department, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, which led to Cox’s conviction.
